1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of interactive television systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method for providing a context-sensitive instructional user interface icon in an interactive television system.
2. Description of Related Background Art
Television and Internet technologies are beginning to converge. In particular, access to the World Wide Web using Internet-enabled television systems is becoming increasingly popular. Internet-enabled television systems, also referred to as xe2x80x9cinteractivexe2x80x9d television systems, enable users to enjoy new levels of interactivity that were impossible only a few years ago. Internet-enabled television systems bring the power of the Internet to a large segment of users who were previously deterred by the complexities of modern personal computers.
Conventional televisions have been available for many years. As such, most people are familiar with the features and operation of a conventional television. Moreover, remote controls for conventional televisions are relatively uniform, allowing users to switch between brands with little or no difficulty.
By contrast, interactive television systems are new. Remote control designs vary widely between manufacturers. Moreover, due to the number and variety of interactive options typically available in an interactive television system, remote control designs are often quite complex. For example, remote controls for an interactive television system may have fifty or more buttons for activating various interactive options. Examples of interactive option include the ability to make online purchases while watching advertisements for various products, checking e-mail while watching television, participating in opinion polls, etc.
Such complexity is appealing to advanced users, but daunting to novice users. In many cases, novice users will pass on available interactive options because of their inability to locate the correct button on the remote control. Printed manuals and on-line help functions are generally not satisfactory, since certain interactive options are only available for a brief period of time, too brief for a user to consult a manual or the like. Moreover, requiring constant reference to a manual may annoy a user to the point of ignoring interactive options altogether.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for providing a context-sensitive instructional user interface icon in an interactive television system. What is also needed is a system and method for providing a context-sensitive instructional user interface icon that intuitively assists a user in identifying and locating a button on a remote control corresponding to an available interactive option. What is also needed is a system and method for providing a context-sensitive instructional user interface icon that relies on a plurality of visual characteristics to instruct the user as to which button on a remote control will activate a currently-available interactive option. Additionally, what is needed is a system and method for providing a context-sensitive instructional user interface icon that is non-intrusive to a user""s operation of an interactive television system.